AUSTIN, Texas — Giving voice to your vote is what League of Women Voters Austin Area President Jessica Foreman is aiming to do, by hosting a fall kickoff with panelists at the Alamo Baker Center Cafetorium on Sunday afternoon.
"The biggest misconception is that the presidential race is the only thing on the ballot," Foreman said. "You might have over 70 different races on your ballot and if you're only thinking about what's in the news, then you're going to miss out on a lot of important county and city races."
Some of the biggest issues on the ballot locally involve Travis County Proposition A, where voters will decide whether to approve spending money to make child care more affordable.
The measure would increase property taxes by 2.5 cents per $100 valuation, which county leaders say comes out to about $10 more per month for the average Travis County resident.
Longtime Austinite Dorothy Barnett is one of the voters who showed up to learn about Prop A.
"If I'm going to be vocal about politics, I should know what I'm talking about for one thing," Barnett said. "And I always try to study the problems and the politicians."
Meanwhile, Austin Independent School District (AISD) parents like Nicole Pletka are passionate about getting more funding for public education.
"I want my children to be educated by well qualified, satisfied people," Pletka said. "People are better at their jobs when they love their job, when they feel appreciated and compensated."
The Austin ISD School Board is asking voters to increase the tax rate by just over nine cents. District officials say the owner of a home worth $553,493 would see their property taxes increase by an additional $34 per month.
It will appear on the ballot as Prop A, which will help pay for teacher and staff raises and additional support positions for campuses.
"It's like planting a tree, you know, because what we're talking about with early childhood is something that's going to pay off in maybe 15 or 20 years," Barnett said.
Other school districts are also holding voter approval tax rate elections. To find out if your district is included, click here.